Stephen W. Parman

EMPLACEMENT CONDITIONS OF KOMATIITE MAGMAS FROM THE 3.49 GA KOMATI FORMATION, BARBERTON GREENSTONE BELT, SOUTH AFRICA

This paper provides new constraints on the crystallization conditions of the 3.49 Ga Barberton komatiites. The compositional evidence from igneous pyroxene in the olivine spinifex komatiite units indicates that the magma contained significant quantities of dissolved H2O. Estimates are made from comparisons of the compositions of pyroxene preserved in Barberton komatiites with pyroxene produced in laboratory experiments at 0.1 MPa (1 bar) under anhydrous conditions and at 100 and 200 MPa (1 and 2 kbar) under H2O-saturated conditions on an analog Barberton composition. Pyroxene thermobarometry on high-Ca clinopyroxene compositions from ten samples requires a range of minimum magmatic water contents of 6 wt.% or greater at the time of pyroxene crystallization and minimum emplacement pressures of 190 MPa (6 km depth). Since high-Ca pyroxene appears after 30% crystallization of olivine and spinel, the liquidus H2O contents could be 4 to 6 wt.% H2O. The liquidus temperature of the Barberton komatiite composition studied is between 1370 and 1400°C at 200 MPa under H2O-saturated conditions. When compared to the temperature-depth regime of modern melt generation environments, the komatiite mantle source temperatures are 200°C higher than the hydrous mantle melting temperatures inferred in modern subduction zone environments and 100°C higher than mean mantle melting temperatures estimated at mid-ocean ridges. When compared to previous estimates of komatiite liquidus temperatures, melting under hydrous conditions occurs at temperatures that are ∼ 250°C lower than previous estimates for anhydrous komatiite. Mantle melting by near-fractional, adiabatic decompression takes place in a melting column that spans ∼ 38 km depth range under hydrous conditions. This depth interval for melting is only slightly greater than that observed in modern mid-ocean ridge environments. In contrast, anhydrous fractional melting models of komatiite occur over a larger depth range (∼ 130 km) and place the base of the melting column into the transition zone.

Thermal evolution of the Earth as recorded by komatiites

Abstract Komatiites are rare ultramafic lavas that were produced most commonly during the Archean and Early Proterozoic and less frequently in the Phanerozoic. These magmas provide a record of the thermal and chemical characteristics of the upper mantle through time. The most widely cited interpretation is that komatiites were produced in a plume environment and record high mantle temperatures and deep melting pressures. The decline in their abundance from the Archean to the Phanerozoic has been interpreted as primary evidence for secular cooling (up to 500°C) of the mantle. In the last decade new evidence from petrology, geochemistry and field investigations has reopened the question of the conditions of mantle melting preserved by komatiites. An alternative proposal has been rekindled: that komatiites are produced by hydrous melting at shallow mantle depths in a subduction environment. This alternative interpretation predicts that the Archean mantle was only slightly (∼100°C) hotter than at present and implicates subduction as a process that operated in the Archean. Many thermal evolution and chemical differentiation models of the young Earth use the plume origin of komatiites as a central theme in their model. Therefore, this controversy over the mechanism of komatiite generation has the potential to modify widely accepted views of the Archean Earth and its subsequent evolution. This paper briefly reviews some of the pros and cons of the plume and subduction zone models and recounts other hypotheses that have been proposed for komatiites. We suggest critical tests that will improve our understanding of komatiites and allow us to better integrate the story recorded in komatiites into our view of early Earth evolution.

A link between large mantle melting events and continent growth seen in osmium isotopes

Although Earth’s continental crust is thought to have been derived from the mantle, the timing and mode of crust formation have proven to be elusive issues. The area of preserved crust diminishes markedly with age, and this can be interpreted as being the result of either the progressive accumulation of new crust or the tectonic recycling of old crust. However, there is a disproportionate amount of crust of certain ages, with the main peaks being 1.2, 1.9, 2.7 and 3.3 billion years old; this has led to a third model in which the crust has grown through time in pulses, although peaks in continental crust ages could also record preferential preservation. The 187Re–187Os decay system is unique in its ability to track melt depletion events within the mantle and could therefore potentially link the crust and mantle differentiation records. Here we employ a laser ablation technique to analyse large numbers of osmium alloy grains to quantify the distribution of depletion ages in the Earth’s upper mantle. Statistical analysis of these data, combined with other samples of the upper mantle, show that depletion ages are not evenly distributed but cluster in distinct periods, around 1.2, 1.9 and 2.7 billion years. These mantle depletion events coincide with peaks in the generation of continental crust and so provide evidence of coupled, global and pulsed mantle–crust differentiation, lending strong support to pulsed models of continental growth by means of large-scale mantle melting events.

The production of Barberton komatiites in an Archean Subduction Zone

Based upon their geochemical similarity, we propose that the 3.5 Ga Barberton basaltic komatiites (BK) are the Archean equivalents of modern boninites, and were produced by the same melting processes (i.e. hydrous melting in a subduction zone). The Barberton komatiites also share some geochemical characteristics with boninites, including petrologic evidence for high magmatic H2O contents. Experimental data indicates that the Archean sub-arc mantle need only be 1500–1600°C to produce hydrous komatiitic melts. This is considerably cooler than estimates of mantle temperatures assuming an anhydrous, plume origin for komatiites (up to 1900°C). The depleted mantle residue that generates the Barberton komatiites and BK will be cooled and metasomatised as it resides beneath the fore-arc, and may represent part of the material that formed the Kaapvaal cratonic keel.

Helium solubility in olivine and implications for high 3He/4He in ocean island basalts.

High 3He/4He ratios found in ocean island basalts are the main evidence for the existence of an undegassed mantle reservoir. However, models of helium isotope evolution depend critically on the chemical behaviour of helium during mantle melting. It is generally assumed that helium is strongly enriched in mantle melts relative to uranium and thorium, yet estimates of helium partitioning in mantle minerals have produced conflicting results. Here we present experimental measurements of helium solubility in olivine at atmospheric pressure. Natural and synthetic olivines were equilibrated with a 50% helium atmosphere and analysed by crushing in vacuo followed by melting, and yield a minimum olivine–melt partition coefficient of 0.0025 ± 0.0005 (s.d.) and a maximum of 0.0060 ± 0.0007 (s.d.). The results indicate that helium might be more compatible than uranium and thorium during mantle melting and that high 3He/4He ratios can be preserved in depleted residues of melting. A depleted source for high 3He/4He ocean island basalts would resolve the apparent discrepancy in the relative helium concentrations of ocean island and mid-ocean-ridge basalts.

A subduction origin for komatiites and cratonic lithospheric mantle

We present a model in which the generation of komatiites in Archaean subduction zones produced depleted mantle residues that eventually formed the highly depleted portions of the Kaapvaal lithospheric mantle. The envisioned melting process is similar to that which has formed boninites in Phanerozoic subduction zones such as the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc. The primary differences between the Archaean and Phanerozoic melting regimes are higher mean melting temperatures (1450 versus 1350 °C) and higher mean melting pressures (2.5 versus 1.5 GPa) for the komatiites. The komatiites from the Komati Formation in the Barberton greenstone belt are mafic enough to have produced the depletion seen in most Kaapvaal granular peridotite xenoliths. However, the most highly depleted Kaapvaal xenoliths require an even more Mg-rich magma than the Komati komatiites (Kk). Samples of boninite mantle residues from the fore-arc of the Marianas subduction zone are nearly as depleted as the Kaapvaal cratonic mantle, indicating that buoyant, craton-like mantle is being produced today. We speculate that production rates of cratonic mantle were greater in the Archaean due to the greater depth of melting for komatiites (relative to boninites) and greater worldwide arc length. The high production rates and high buoyancy of the komatiite mantle residues gave rise to the rapid growth and stabilization of the Kaapvaal craton in the Archaean.

Enriched Pt-Re-Os Isotope Systematics in Plume Lavas Explained by Metasomatic Sulfides

To explain the elevated osmium isotope (186Os-187Os) signatures in oceanic basalts, the possibility of material flux from the metallic core into the crust has been invoked. This hypothesis conflicts with theoretical constraints on Earths thermal and dynamic history. To test the veracity and uniqueness of elevated 186Os-187Os in tracing core-mantle exchange, we present highly siderophile element analyses of pyroxenites, eclogites plus their sulfides, and new 186Os/188Os measurements on pyroxenites and platinum-rich alloys. Modeling shows that involvement in the mantle source of either bulk pyroxenite or, more likely, metasomatic sulfides derived from either pyroxenite or peridotite melts can explain the 186Os-187Os signatures of oceanic basalts. This removes the requirement for core-mantle exchange and provides an effective mechanism for generating Os isotope diversity in basalt source regions.

Helium isotopic evidence for episodic mantle melting and crustal growth

The timing of formation of the Earth’s continental crust is the subject of a long-standing debate, with models ranging from early formation with little subsequent growth, to pulsed growth, to steadily increasing growth. But most models do agree that the continental crust was extracted from the mantle by partial melting. If so, such crustal extraction should have left a chemical fingerprint in the isotopic composition of the mantle. The subduction of oceanic crust and subsequent convective mixing, however, seems to have largely erased this record in most mantle isotopic systems (for example, strontium, neodymium and lead). In contrast, helium is not recycled into the mantle because it is volatile and degasses from erupted oceanic basalts. Therefore helium isotopes may potentially preserve a clearer record of mantle depletion than recycled isotopes. Here I show that the spectrum of 4He/3He ratios in ocean island basalts appears to preserve the mantle’s depletion history, correlating closely with the ages of proposed continental growth pulses. The correlation independently predicts both the dominant 4He/3He peak found in modern mid-ocean-ridge basalts, as well as estimates of the initial 4He/3He ratio of the Earth. The correspondence between the ages of mantle depletion events and pulses of crustal production implies that the formation of the continental crust was indeed episodic and punctuated by large, potentially global, melting events. The proposed helium isotopic evolution model does not require a primitive, undegassed mantle reservoir, and therefore is consistent with whole mantle convection.

The distribution of Mg-spinel across the Moon and constraints on crustal origin

Abstract A robust assessment is made of the distribution and (spatially resolved) geologic context for the newly identified rock type on the Moon, a Mg-spinel-bearing anorthosite (pink-spinel anorthosite, PSA). Essential criteria for confirmed detection of Mg-spinel using spectroscopic techniques are presented and these criteria are applied to recent data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper. Altogether, 23 regions containing confirmed exposures of the new Mg-spinel rock type are identified. All exposures are in highly feldspathic terrain and are small-a few hundred meters-but distinct and verifiable, most resulting from multiple measurements. Each confirmed detection is classified according to geologic context along with other lithologies identified in the same locale. Confirmed locations include areas along the inner rings of four mascon basins, knobs within central peaks of a few craters, and dispersed exposures within the terraced walls of several large craters. Unexpected detections of Mg-spinel are also found at a few areas of hypothesized non-mare volcanism. The small Mg-spinel exposures are shown to be global in distribution, but generally associated with areas of thin crust. Confirmation of Mg-spinel exposures as part of the inner ring of four mascon basins indicates this PSA rock type is principally of lower crust origin and predates the basin-forming era.

Petrology and Geochemistry of Barberton Komatiites and Basaltic Komatiites: Evidence of Archean Fore-Arc Magmatism

Publisher Summary The Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB) is one of several mid- to late-Archean greenstone belts that lie along the eastern margin of the Kaapvaal craton. The nature of the melting process that gave rise to such unusual magmas has been the subject of diverse speculation. Initially, some very non-uniformitarian processes were proposed, including leaks from persistent magma oceans. The BGB consists of a number of tectonic blocks sutured together and folded by tectonic processes, and appears to be an example of a fold and thrust belt. The presence of the ultra-mafic units within this convergent setting does not require that they were produced by the subduction zone itself. The Komati Fm. lies above the Theespruit Fm., and is separated from it by the Komati fault. While there is still much work to be done on the timing of events, it appears that at least part of the Komati and Theespruit are coeval, and that the former was thrust over the latter by a collisional event. The Komati Fm. is separated into an upper and lower part.